Renewables Produce 56% Of Denmark’s Domestic Electricity
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Originally published on the ECOreport.
The numbers fluctuate. At 10:19 AM Pacific Time, on December 13, wind turbines fed 434 megawatts (MW) into the grid. There have been days when they produced 140% of the nation’s need. Then there is solar energy and biomass. According to the Danish Energy Agency, combined, renewables produce 56% of Denmark’s domestic electricity consumption.
Renewables Produce 56% of Denmark’s Domestic Electricity
Some critics point out that this is possible because of the tiny nation’s relationship with Norway, Sweden, and Germany. The Danes can build up their wind energy capacity knowing their neighbours will purchase any excess power they produce. Likewise, when the winds are scarce, they can import electricity.
Nevertheless, Denmark produced 89% of the energy it used in 2015.
Coal, oil, and natural gas consumption dropped 30.4%, while the consumption of renewable energy rose.
Wind power supplied 41.8% of the nation’s domestic need. Biomass produced 11.0%. And other renewable sources (such as solar energy) made smaller contributions.
Good News For A World Struggling To Cut GHG Emissions
This is good news for a world struggling to curb the emissions that cause global warming.
It has been almost two decades since most of the world agreed to limit their emissions to 1990 levels. Most of the world has made little progress. However, the European Union is already 22.9% below and Denmark’s GHG emissions are 31.1% below.
Image Credits:
- Bottom of wind turbine at Avedore, Hovedstaden, Denmark by Drouyn Cambridge via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0 license);
- Courtesy Energinet.dk;
- Courtesy Danish Energy Agency
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